


Utsukushii

by manubibi



Category: Free!
Genre: Drabble Sequence, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-21
Updated: 2015-05-21
Packaged: 2018-03-31 14:27:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3981481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manubibi/pseuds/manubibi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A collection of very short drabbles (100 words) each one prompted by words in alphabetical order, exploring the relationship between Nagisa and Rei and presenting random situations. Some are shippy, some aren't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Utsukushii

**Author's Note:**

  * For [altairattorney](https://archiveofourown.org/users/altairattorney/gifts).



> This is for an Italian challenge on LiveJournal where I had to write a sequence of stories based on prompts, and I had to come up with a prompt for each letter of the alphabet. Each story must be about the same character/s and have the same number of words. Also, prompts could be in any language, but the stories had to be in one language only, so I picked English. For this collection, I chose to write 100 words per each drabble (which is the actual definition of what a drabble is, and I calculated them with [this](http://support.mercurial-mind.net/fiumidiparole/) site as per instructions - [here](http://maridichallenge.livejournal.com/tag/il%20sillabario), although the page is in Italian...) and the two characters I wrote about are Nagisa and Rei, obviously. I've been sidelining them because of Sounagi Week and because other Nagisa ships were taking spots in my heart, but Reigisa is still pretty much my biggest OTP for this anime. <3  
> For Italian words I put a translation in brackets, so there shouldn't be any problem. And last but not least, this is for [altairattorney](http://archiveofourown.org/users/altairattorney)! The single fics suffer from having to be all the same length, but I hope you like at least some of them XD <3

**Abbraccio (Hug)** : Nagisa is always very eager to touch. He has no concepts of personal space, privacy, no trouble popping up from a corner to wrap his thin but surprisingly strong arms around anyone. Especially his purple-eyed friend. But he does not mind, because when Rei asks him how he does it and whether he wants something more from him such as more affection, Nagisa has a simple answer that throws him off his balance. "Rei-chan might not be much of a hugging person, but I always feel like I'm wrapped up in a hug when he looks at me." And smiles.

 

 **Buio (Darkness)** : Rei notices first, because there is something lacking in the sounds around him, besides Makoto's chatter and Haruka's hums. There is simply a note missing from the never-ending soundtrack of his days. He looks on his right, and figures what bothered him out: Nagisa is not chattering, jolly as usual. Thus, he instantly realizes there is trouble. And when he is told what the problem is, he would just like to be able to do something. Nagisa is always a light in his days. But today he learns he also has the right words to dissipate his friend's own darkness. 

 

 **Caldo (Hot)** : Rei has always found a sort of complex beauty in the scientific, cold way his days roll by. There is fascination and beauty in how things can be measured, analyzed, understood and even foreseen. He knows the world is governed by precise rules, impossible to bend, and he does imagine that humans are, more or less, the same. Still, there is something that makes no sense. How his way of seeing the world and beauty changed, after getting to know Nagisa, a tornado of laughter, energy, and a constant warmth. He thinks about it every day. He _has_ to understand.

 

 **Dolce (Sweet)** : It is no mistery that Nagisa likes sweetness. His mouth is always filled with candy and the likes, he seems to carburate on sugar alone, his voice is comparable to honey, his words seem to fly in the air, explode and flutter like confetti, and let's not even begin talking about chocolate. Rei finds him interesting to observe. How his smiles really have a beneficial effect on his mood, how every time they look at each other and Nagisa jokes, something stirs and warms up inside of him. And Nagisa secretly enjoys seeing the same sweet smiles on Rei's face.

 

 **Estetica (Aesthetic)** : "That is not beautiful," Rei grumbles, throwing a sceptic look at himself in the mirror. Nagisa knows his sense of aesthetics is particular, baroque, and not very much sober. But this is really not it. He knows that the purple-eyed boy will do anything he says in the end, and Rei knows it, and he has given up arguing. And that is how he convinced him in a cat costume, complete with paws and fake pointy ears. Nagisa finds him adorable, especially with that 'very serious man' pout of his. Although to be fair, to him Rei always looks beautiful.

 

 **Felicità (Happiness)** : Rei is not unhappy to lead a quiet, meticulous life where he is in control of everything. After all, don't people pursue control of their own life for years, sometimes without even reaching it? Don't people become miserable when they do not reach the goals they have set for themselves? Then, it's confusing for him, how people seem to also follow a promise of fun and unpredictable events. They are two opposing instincts, and he is fascinated by how Nagisa seems to float through life seeking amusement. And Rei is attracted by that freedom, even though it makes no sense.

 

 **Giallo (Yellow)** : "This looks nice on you, Rei-chan!" Nagisa coos, watching his friend emerge from the dressing booth. The penguin has organized a party at Haruka's place - and Rei cannot believe how easy a feat that was for his cheerful best friend. Then again, Nagisa always gets what he wants, in the end. He looks at himself in the mirror, shocked and humiliated by the fact that the blond talked him into this outfit that fast. Being in his company does that, he guessed. It is absolutely horrifying how he accepted to wear an entirely yellow suit and tie outfit. What?!

 

 **Hard** : At first sight, Rei imagined that Nagisa was a sort of hippie. Joyful, relaxed, nice to be around, but also lazy, annoying, a dreamer with no realism to support him, a silly boy with flowers in his hair and nothing valuable to hold onto. But he has changed his mind fast, admiring the way the blond faces life head first, yes, but also works hard to reach his goals. Never gives up on what he sets his mind on. Nagisa is strong-willed, hard to bring down. His flaws then seem to bring balance to his personality, to make him rich.

 

 **Ieri (Yesterday)** : Yesterday Nagisa invited Rei over at his own house to do homework together, and the azure-haired boy imagined a messy place that he would _have_ to tidy up, before leaving. Contrarily to that, however, the Hazuki family seems to be very clean, very methodical, sober. Nagisa is the exception, along with his sisters. His room is colorful, an explosion of paint on an otherwise white, aseptic canvas... And he loves it. The way life bursts out of Nagisa, then, acquires new quality, and more admiration from the megane. He hugs the other for minutes, leaving him speechless, but smiling brightly.

 

 **Jam** : "Nagisa, your mouth is dirty," Rei warns, sighing at how easily his friend makes a mess out of himself, and in this case out of his kitchen table, with jam. Still, he cannot be angry. Nagisa is laughing happily with that frizzy, jolly sound that feels like a nice tickle on Rei's soul. He is always like that. Always grabbing Rei's life by the tail and yanking it around carelessly like a child with a toy. But now they are late for school, and Rei needs to grab the other's hand, and run away, while Nagisa wipes his mouth clean.

 

 **Kiss** : “For science," Nagisa said while scooping closer with a goofy, sly look. "I want to experiment kissing, Rei-chan. After all, you've never been kissed either, right?" And that was his excuse. There is really no explanation as to how they ended up exchanging small pecks on the lips, between excited giggles - on Nagisa's part - and violent blushing, stuttering, but no protests - on Rei's. They were supposed to be studying, but the azure-haired male can safely say that idea flew right out the window. He should study, but today he would rather play with golden locks of hair.

 

 **Light** : Nagisa’s not as light-weight as people would think he is. Sure, he's not much heavy either, but his muscles do not make him seem like a feather either when it comes to carrying him. However, he still makes people try. Sometimes, he actually gives his friends - like Makoto - the excuse that it will be good exercise for them! And just like with anything else, his winning argument is staring at them with wide puppy eyes. Rei tries to refuse sometimes, but every single instance he ends up muttering that this boy is a nightmare while carrying him around.

 

 **Man** : Nagisa looks at himself in the mirror, and points out to himself how his hips are too thin. How his torso is too small. How his legs seem so fragile. He tries to work out so that his body looks more masculine, bulkier, but still he is never satisfied. Rei sees no problem in him. Yes, he looks smaller than average, but his looks are quite elegant, Nagisa would make a good subject for classical-inspired art. But that is not what he says. "You're beautiful to _me_ ," is what he breathes, with a smile. Nagisa never feels that insecure again.

 

 **Nightmare** : It was just a nightmare, he tells himself on the road back from school. After all, Nagisa is there right next to him, babbling, not worried at all about Rei’s dream. He just shrugged it off as a weird product of Rei’s imagination, nothing else. Still, the megane had his heart broken when he woke up, like somehow it had all happened for real. That Nagisa would give up his life, the memories they built together, to let Rei’s dreams come true. And in a way, he knows that is real. Nagisa would do that, and do it without regrets.

 

 **Orrore (Horror)** : Rei should never let Nagisa pick their entertainment, he thinks with a disapproving frown. On one hand, watching movies like this is annoying because of how unlikely everything in them is. Seriously, why did the protagonist not bring that taser with her? And demonic possessions? Illogical fairy tales told to children to scare them, which by the way is very unhealthy to him. On the other hand, somehow his best friend makes the movie the less entertaining by spewing random facts from behind the scenes that he knows because of course he knows about useless facts instead of school material…  

 

 **Penguin** : In retrospective, he should have foreseen this. When Nagisa proposed to go see the animals which extraordinarily were brought to Iwatobi at the aquarium together, Rei should have thought it had rockhopper penguins in it. But then, he realizes his tiny ray of sunshine is just like one. Maybe he's trying to rejoice with his actual family or something like that. He's goofy, appears to always be chipper and funny, and is actually very caring of the people around him and his loved ones. Rei has always loved that about him. It makes it so much easier to love him...

 

 **Quarrel** : Bickering is sort of their thing, anyone would tell that about them. It generally starts with something that irritates Rei, and it develops into a ping-pong battle, only to evolve into a full fledged passive-aggressive exchange of lines, like they had rehearsed it before. Nagisa always seems to amuse himself with them, like poking Rei was irresistible to him. In a way, it is. Rei is the only one who gives him the satisfaction, listens all the time and always takes him seriously, even when he should let it go... And that may be why Nagisa appreciates him so much.

 

 **Ridiculous** : Rei cannot help not feeling ridiculous. It was not just Gou-san who convinced the team to put on that show to lure members into this crazy club. It was mainly Nagisa who, quirky as he is, pushed everybody to learn this easy but humiliating routine. "It will be fun!" He squealed, while everybody was moving like they were swimming, but in front of an empty bunch of seats.  
_Never listen to Nagisa-kun_ , he notes mentally. Now that everybody is staring at them with disconcerted looks, he knows he shouldn't fall for that boy's eyes so easily. But he always does.

 

 **Stubborn** : Nagisa always tells tales about how him being a stubborn child his whole life made it advance, made it happy, made him meet new friends. He would also tell tales of how being so insistent on his ideas and on things he wanted to do or say to others ruined friendships he had. Nagisa is stubborn and that can be a gift or a curse. In Rei’s case, it was both. It made him join the swim club, and it made him face himself. It made him break the shell he was in, and realize he is another person entirely.

 

 **Tall** : Rei cannot really hold much over Nagisa's head. Well, not in the metaphorical sense anyway. But being slightly taller has its perks, he considers while keeping a bag of candy above his best friend's head, out of reach, while the other jumps up and down to steal it. "Stop it, Nagisa-kun!"  
"But I want candy!" The other chirps, pouting and folding his arms. Oh, no, he's not going to fall for The Pout. It's his oldest trick. Surely it has no effect on him anymore.  
A couple of minutes later, he sighs. He should've seen it coming. Apparently, it does.

 

 **University** : “Nagisa-kun, you should be more wise and start choosing a university now,” Rei says, with a worried expression. He reminds him that every day, with growing concern in his violet eyes. It's funny Nagisa should be in the position of being told he should be quick and decide what to do with his life, because he doesn't know, like Haruka a year before. The difference is, he can't one way to go when he wishes to do so many things! But he wants to go where Rei-chan goes. At least in the same city... That's the only thing he knows. 

 

 **Visione (Vision)** : Nagisa knows how to lure that boy into this. As in, into making him join the swim club he’s been talking incessantly about to him since he met him. Rei keeps blabbering about beautiful things, aesthetics, grace, right? He knows someone who can solve the club’s problem and maybe get him a new friend. He waits eagerly for the joint practice, also because that way he will see his friend, Rin, because he's still a friend after all. When he sees Haruka get in position, he throws a glance at Rei. And as Haruka dives, he knows he got him.

 

 **World** : Nagisa has a way to give everything and never expect anything that seems very illogical to Rei. You give something, you receive something, he figured, even though to be fair he is also very generous. But still, Nagisa always seems to be surprised and moved any time anyone does something for him. He is so pure, and it is so heartwarming to see him cry with joy, especially after knowing that this bubbly blond has seen his share of darkness. And still, he always seems to not mind being sidelined. That is why Rei wants to give him the world.

 

 **Xylitol** : "Do you know what you need?" Nagisa begins, while observing Rei's face during a homework and study session at the megane's place.   
"What is it, Nagisa-kun?" The other replies patiently, not even looking up from the book he is studying on.  
"Xylitol," the blond replies, with a grin. Rei now raises his head, frowning.   
"Why would I need Xylitol?" He asks, just mildly annoyed. Nagisa smiles wider, if possible.  
"Dunno, it's something sweet, right? Maybe that would wipe that serious look off your face."  
Rei stares for a moment, then hits his head with a book.   
"Go back to study."

 

 **Yes** : Rei does not believe in magic, or such illogical things like it. It is all poppycock people cling onto to explain things science has a method for. And yet, he could never explain the hold Nagisa has on him. He is so simple, so pure, and Rei dissected him mentally so much, studied him so long. Still, he cannot explain himself why, every time his best friend comes up with some silly idea ("let's do it!" Being his biggest scare), he always ends up thinking about it for a very short time, look at him, and then saying it: "Yes." 

 

 **Zaino** **(Schoolback/knapsack)** : Rei's just finished studying, after Nagisa came by to do homework together. Today, he thinks, he finished remarkably fast. Walking to the kitchen he sees Nagisa's backpack sitting there.   
'He forgot,' he thinks shaking his head. "Nagisa..." he murmurs, picking it up. And then he feels something shaking inside, to which he frowns. He is not one to snoop around in other people's things, but this time he cannot resist. He opens the bag: inside is a box of chocolates with a card: "Thank you, Rei-chan!"  
He thinks he'll still have to get it back to him anyway, but smiles.

 


End file.
